Charlie Hebdo's new Alan cartoon goes too far

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has triggered a fierce debate on the social networks with a cartoon on the New Year's Eve attacks in Cologne that depicts an older version of the dead refugee boy Alan as a molester. The magazine has really gone too far now, the liberal daily Politis criticises: "Unfortunately the cartoonists have lost all sense of proportion. Their black humour has turned into meanness and become personal. Imagine how Alan's father will feel if he sees this cartoon. You can't 'exploit' a picture of a drowned boy and hope that the readers will see the sense behind this. … Satire should not and cannot be censored. But a certain internal balance is necessary. You have to set your own limits to prevent satire from getting nasty or turning into a crude joke."